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To be honest, I never thought I would be writing this column. No, not by any stretch of the imagination.

But here we are, still publishing after a half-decade, having survived the "dot bomb."

“…What many of our readers did not know is that this issue was to have been JWR's last...”

It is with gratitude and thanks for the Creator's help -- and your kindness -- that we've made it to this point.

In a relatively short time, JWR has become one of the most highly regarded web publications of its kind. We are regularly read in the corridors of power, cited by some of this nation's most prominent media, and relied upon by the influential.

The reason, we believe, is simple. We publish quality. Always have and always will. We focus on the good in society --- or the restoring of it. We seek justice and challenge our readers to become better humans; wiser and more informed and compassionate beings.

AFTER five years, there are too many individuals to list here, in whose debt I am. There are, however, four without whom JWR would not exist.

Although only affiliated with JWR for a relatively short time, Josh Pollack helped conceive and, in fact, create, this publication. For the first few issues, he did the graphics, coding, headline writing and much more. He invested hours -- hundreds of hours! -- in making sure JWR would become the respectable publication it has.

Yitz Relkin, has gone beyond the call of duty --- friendship and otherwise. That JWR looks as slick as it does is due to his ingenuity. Get ready for his forthcoming redesign!

Rabbi Yaakov Menken's Project Genesis is JWR's "virtual landlord." One of the 'Net's true visionaries, the good rabbi believed in JWR from its infancy, stuck by us and continues to put up with the craziness that results from operating on a shoestring budget.

And last, but certainly not least, my life partner, Rivky. She has allowed her husband to fulfill a dream and, essentially, guaranteed that JWR did not fold. Her self-sacrifice to this end borders on saintliness.

WHAT many of our readers did not know is that this issue was to have been JWR's last. When I wrote above "To be honest, I never thought I would be writing this column. No, not by any stretch of the imagination," what was to follow was to have been a tribute, an obituary. A "what could have been."

The response to the current appeal made sure that did not happen.

Those who responded to our plea for help -- all 1% of you; yes, you read correctly! -- have every reason to feel good, knowing as you now do, that you truly have made a difference. But for the record, JWR is far from being financially stable.

We may very well need to implement some or all of the scenarios outlined on our cover. We certainly do not want to.

If you are enjoying JWR, PLEASE help out. ANYTHING is better than NOTHING. We will not be the least bit offended that a reader is bestowing his kindness and appreciation on us. We want to keep JWR running as it is.